Adding-machine



Unirse STATES PATENT OFFICEo GEORGE D. STRAYER, OE EAST STROUDSBURG,PENNSYLVANIA.

ADDING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 514,785, dated February13,1894.

Application filed August 3l, 1893. Serial No. 484,482. (No model.)

T0 all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE D. STRAYER,a citizen of the United States,and a resident of East Stroudsburg, in the county of Monroe and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful ImprovementsinAdding- Machines; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Figure l of the drawings is a vertical longitudinal section of theinvention applied to a cash register. Fig. 2 is a front view of samewith the casing partly broken away. Fig. 3 is a detail View inperspective of the ring or cylinder. Fig. et is a detail view inperspective of spindle with collar R and Fig. 5 is a front view indetail of the cylinder in modiiied form.

This invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements inadding machines, and is designed to provide simple, accurate, andpractical means of this character; and the invention consists in thenovel construction and combination of parts, all as hereinafterdescribed and pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings illustrating the invention, theletter A indicates a frame or casing, which may be of any suitable formor character, and which may have in its lower portion a reciprocatingcash drawer B.

O designates a cylinder formed with an internal spiral thread or groovec, and supported in the frame in such a manner as to be capable of anendwise reciprocating movement. In the drawings this cylinder is shownas being supported in horizontal position in that portion of the frameabove the cash drawer, but I do notlimit myself to such arrangement asitis obvious that it might be supported in vertical position, and inother relations to the frame.

D designates a shaft or spindle, which at one end portion enters thecylinder O, and carries within the cylinder a screw-threaded cylinderEwhich has spiral [langes or projections e see Fig. 3 arranged to fit thespiral thread or groove cof the cylinder. Said cylinder E is normallyfree to turn on the shaft or spindle D, and is capable of a limitedendwise movement thereon between suitable stops d and d. In one end ofsaid ring or cylinder is formed a series of radial grooves F, parallelwith the axis thereof, and designed to engage with the arms or stops dupon the proper endwise movement of the said cylinder.

I'I designates a series of reciprocating keys, the stems of which areshown as sliding through a bearing plate 7L in the end of the casing,and arranged, upon proper endwise movement, to contact with a push plateI secured to the end of the cylinder O. The endwise movement of the saidkeys is limited by a stop h upon the stem of each, and these stops aregraduated in their positions, so that each key is capable of a differentdegree of movement, corresponding in each to the value of the key.Springs t' in connection with the stems of thc keys, serve to returnthem to their normal positions after operation.

Afflxed to the cylinder O is afeatherk which is arranged to slide, asthe cylinder is moved, ih a notch or groove t" in the frame piece d andserves to prevent any rotary movement of the cylinder. A spring Kbearing against the inner end of the cylinder returns it to its normalposition after operation. Other suitable means niay, however, beprovided for returning, and checking the rotary movement of thecylinder.

The shaft or spindle D has a bearingin an arm of the frame atJ, andstopsyl may be employed to prevent endwise movement of said shaft orspindle. On the inner end of said shaft or spindle is a pinion N, whichin the drawings is shown as gearing with a toothed dial wheel M, in therear portion of the casing, the shaft m of the latter carrying a pinionO which gears with a second dial wheel P, for registering multiples ofthe number shown on the wheel lll.- I do not, however, confine myself toany particular arrangement of gear and dial wheels, as I may use anysuitable arrangement capable of being geared to the shaft or spindle D.

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The operation is as follows: Any one of the keys Hv 'being operated toits full endwise movement, its stem acts upon the push plate I, andmoves the cylinder endwise a distance corresponding to the value of thatparticular key. As the cylinder commences to move, it carries with itthe cylinder E, which at this time is free to turn upon the shaft orspindle D, until such time as its grooves F are engaged by the arms `orprojections G, when the said shaft is caused to rotate with the camring, the rotation of the latter being caused by their engagement witheach other as described, the cylinder being fixed against rotation; andthis movement of the shaft or spindle is transferred to the registeringgear through the pinion l N. The key being released, the spring K,returns the cylinder to its original position, and at the commencementof the return movement, cylinder' E is disengaged from theshaft orspindle D, so

that the latter is not rotated. Inasmuch as each key is capable of adiiferent degree of movement, it follows that the operation of eachcauses the registration of a dierent amount, the movement of each beingso graduated as to cause it to register the amount marked thereon.

The keys may be marked,and the mechanism graduated for any desiredsystem of rotation.

Two or more of the cylinders, each with its own group of keys, andoperated mechanism, may be arranged side by side, or otherwise, in thesame frame or case, if desired.

In place of the grooves F, and the arms G adapted to engage therewith,as before described, I may place a radially grooved collar R upon theshaft or spindle D, arms R being provided upon the cylinderE forengagement therewith, as shown in Fig. 5.

Having thus described my invention, what I believe to be new, and desireto secure by i Letters Patent, is-

1. In an adding machine, the combination with a group of endwiseslidable keys, and stopson said keys whereby each key representing adifferent value has a different degree of movement, a hollow endwisemovable,

non-rotary cylinder common to all of said keys and actuated by any onethereof, a spiral thread or groove on ,the interior of said cylinder, arotary but non-endwise movable shaft or spindle extending within saidcylinder, and a threaded cylinder carried by said shaft or spindle andfitting the internal thread or groove of the outer cylinder,substantially as specified.

2. In an adding machine, the combination with an endwise movable, andnon-rotary cylinder, having an internal helical thread or groove, of ashaft or spindle partially within said cylinder, a screw-threadedcylinder on said shaft within said cylinder, and fitting the internalthread or groove thereof, said threaded cylinder being normally loose onsaid shaft or spindle, and means for causing the engage.

ment and disengagement of said ring from said shaft or spindle upon theendwise movements of said non-rotary cylinder, substantially asspecified.

3. In an adding machine, the combination with anY endwise movable,non-rotary cylinder, having an'linterior helical groove or thread, ofthe rotary shaft or spindle partially within said cylinder, thehelically lian ged, radially grooved cylinder normally loose on saidshaft or spindle and fitting the groove or thread of said non-rotarycylinder, and projections on said shaft or spindle for engagement withthe grooves of said cylinder, subhaving means for engagementwith thegrooves thereof, and suitable adding or registering mechanism geared tosaid shaft, substantially as specified.

5. In an adding machine, the combination of a group of independentlymovable keys, their graduated stops, and returning springs, the cylinderhaving the internal helical grooves or thread, its push plate, therotary shaft or spindle, the helically flanged, radially grooved rotarycylinder within said cylinder, and capable of a limited endwise movementupon said shaft, means on said shaft lfor engagement with said rotarycylinder, the

spring for returning said cylinder, andy adding or registeringmechanisms, substantially as specified. A

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE' D. STRA'YER. Witnesses: f

JOHN F. VAN GORDEN, W. H. Voss.

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